Direction-signal for vehicles



W. H. CASE.

DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1918.

1,344,61 Patented Jun 29, 1920;

2 sugars-4H2 I.

W. H. CASE.

DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 2, 1918.

Patented June 29, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WI LIAM. 3- ca e or BOBBIJNSPALE, MINNESOTA- DIR CT N-$I FOR EHICLE$.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Case, a citizen of the United States, residing at Robbinsdale, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Directionignals for Vehicles; and I do hereby .declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a pertains to make and use the same. I

hfy invention relates to improvements in direction signals or semaphores for automobiles or other vehicles; and to this end, it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters llldlr cate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the invent on applied to the wind shield .of an automoblle, and looking at said wind shield from the back thereof;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the right hand direction signal, with theflag unfurled;

Fig. 3 is .a perspective view of the parts as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly'in elevation and partly in vertical section, taken on the line 41-t of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the right hand supporting bracket, on an enlarged scale Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the guide for the flag unfur'ling bars;

Fig. 7 is a detail view in section, taken on the line 77 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 8 is a detail view, with some parts sectioned on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1, onan enlarged scale; 7 v

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail v1ew, -partlv in central vertical section and partly in elevation, of the upper extremity ofone 0f the casings and spring actuated flag unfurling roller;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevation of the outer end of the right hand signalflag and post by which it is held and secured to the respective flag unfurling bar;

Fig. 12 is a detail view in horizontal seca tion, taken on the line 1212 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale; I

Fig. 13 is a detail view, principally in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1920.

Application filed May 2. 1915. Serial No. 232.019.

section, taken on the line 13 -13 of Fig. 1, with the flag unfurling bar projected to bring the movable contact into electrical engagement with the fixed contact to complete the normally broken circuit for the right hand electric lamp, and Fig. 14 is a view in diagram showing the wiring and battery for the electric lamps.

The numeral 14 indicates an automobile body and the numeral 15 indicates the wind shield. Preferably, as shown, the direction signal is secured to and supported from the vertical members of the frame of the wind shield 15, but, of course, it may be secured to the body 145. v

The direction signal proper constitutes two normally furled flags 16, having printed or otherwise marked thereon, oppositely projecting index hand 17. These flags '16 are arranged to be unfurled on opposite sides of the vehicle to which they are ap plied and in substantially the plane of the wind shield. The inner ends of the flags 16 are secured to upright spring actuated rollers '18 (of the window shade type) under strain to furl the flags thereon. The lower or round trunnions of the rollers 18 are loosely journaled in the lower ends of a pair of cylindrical casings 19, and their upper or flattened trunnions are held fixed in transverse bars 20 secured in the upper ends of said casings. Screw caps 21 normally close the upper ends of the casings 19.

' Substantially tangentially located longitudinal slots 22, through which the flags 16 At the longitudinal edges of the slots 22 are formed outwardly flaring flanges 23, the up per ends of which are connected by cover plates 24. The purpose of these flanges 23 and cover plates 24 will presently appear. On the lower or bottom ends of the cylinders 19 are shouldered studs -25, that are secured by screw threads in bores formed in horizontal and forwardly projecting brackets 26, from which the said cylinders are supported in upright positions,

Integral with the supporting brackets 26, rearward of the casings 19, are rectangular collars 27, in which the ends of a correpondingly formed tubular guide 28 are rigidly secured. This guide 28 extends the full width of the wind shield 15, at the rear thereof, and has formed therein, on the opposite side from said wind shield, a longitudinal slot 29. Each supporting bracket 26 is provided with a vertically disposed angle member 30 that embraces one of the vertical members of the frame of the wind shield 15 and is rigidly but detachably secured thereto by a nut-equipped bolt 31.

The angle members 30 are made separate from the supporting brackets 26 and connected thereto by rivets 32, passed through alined bores in said angle members and depending lugs 33, integral with the supporting brackets. To prevent the supporting brackets 26 from turning on the rivets 32, interlocking serrations 34 are formed on the adjacent faces of said supporting brackets and angle members. Before the supporting brackets 26 and angle members 30 are permanently connected by the rivets 32 they are adjusted to bring said supporting brackets into horizontal'position and the angle members into position to embrace the vertically disposed members of the frame of the wind shield 15, which may be either a perpendicular position or an oblique position.

Slidably mounted in the guide 28, is a pair of flag unfurling bars 35, that have the same form in cross section as the guide 28, and thereby held against turning movement. Rigidly secured on the outer end of each bar 35 is a bracket 36, which supports a tubular post 37, having formed therein a longitudinal slot 38. The outer end of each flag 16 is inserted through the slot 38 in the respective post and provided with a hem 39, located within said post. To removably secure the outer ends of the flags 16 in the posts 37, pins 40 are inserted endwise into the hems 39 to expand and thereby secure the flags thereto.

The bars 35 are independently projected to unfurl the flags 16, at will, by knurled finger pieces 41, pivotally secured to the in ner ends of the bars 35, and working through the slot 29. To temporarily secure the bars 35 projected with the flags 16 unfurled against the tension of the spring rollers 18, gravity actuated dogs 42 are rigidly secured to the finger pieces 41 and arranged to engage ratchet-like notches 43, formed in the guide 28, at the lower longitudinal edge of its slot 29.

To illuminate the flags 16 at night, when unfurled, I provide for each thereof an electric lamp 44, having a bracket 45. These brackets 45 are secured to the forward ends of the supporting brackets 26 and hold the lamps 44 positioned, as shown in Fig. 2.

The electric lamps 44 are in a normally open circuit 46, which includes, for each of said lamps, a fixed contact 47 and a movable contact 48. The fixed contacts 47 are in the form of loops attached to the guide 28, but insulated therefrom, and the movable contacts 48 are in the form of pins secured to the inner ends of the bars These movable contacts 48 are arranged to electrically engage the fixed contacts 47, at the limit of the outward movement of the bars 35, to unfurl the flag 16 and complete the electric circuit. Any suitable source of electrical energy may be, provided for the lamps 44, such as a battery 44. Obviously, the initial movement of the bars 35, during the furling of the flags, will break the electric circuit for the lamps 44.

As a convenient means for holding the long branch wire of the circuit 46 between the two lamps, perforated ears 49 are pressed from the guide 48, as shown in Fig. 6. A switch, not shown, will be interposed in the electric circuit 46 so that the lamps may be cut out in the day time.

Normally, both of the flags 16 are yieldingly held furled by the spring rollers 18. In this position of the flags 16, the posts 37 are firmly held between the flanges 23, and thereby completely close the, slots 22, and, together with the cover plates 24, exclude rain, dirt and dust from the casings 19.

If the driver of a vehicle to which the improved direction signal is applied is about to turn said vehicle, say to. the right, he takes hold of the right hand finger piece 41 and moves the attached bar 35 outward, with respect to the vehicle. This movement of the bar 35 unfurls the flag 16 attached to the respective post 37. At the limit of the outward movement of the bar 35 the attached dog 42 drops into the respective notch 43, and thereby holds the flag 16 unfurled against the tension of the spring roller 18, to which it is attached. After the driver has completed the turning movement of the; vehicle it is only necessary to give the right hand finger piece 41 a slight turn to lift the attached lock dog 42 out of the engaged notch 43, and upon releasing the said finger piece the s ring roller immediately furls the flag wit in the casing 19.

From the above description it is evident that by the use of the improved direction signal a driver or other occupant of a vehicle to which said signal is applied may very easily indicate to a traflic oflicer, occupants of other vehicles, or pedestrians, the direction in which he is about to turn his car, thus avoiding confusion and accidents. It is also evident that the improved direction signal can be very easily and quickly applied to vehicles of various different designs.

That I claim is:

1. A direction signal for vehicles comprising a spring actuated roller, a signal flag normally furled on the roller, a tubular guide having a longitudinal slot, a flag unfurling bar mounted in the guide and having, at its outer end, a post to which the outer end of. the flag is secured, a gravity held dog carried by thebar and working in the slot of the guide, and a notch in the guide with which said dog engages at the limit of the projecting movement of the bar to hold the flag unfurled.

2. A direction signal for Vehicles comprising a roller, a signal flag normally furled on the roller, a flag unfurling barworking transversely of the roller and having, at its outer end, a post to which the outer end of the flag is secured, a fixed electric lamp located forward of and in the vicinity of the roller and arranged to illuminate the flag when unfurled, and a normally open circuit for the lamp, including a fixed contact and a movable contact, the latter of which is carried by said bar and arranged to engage the fixed contact at the limit of the pro- 15 jecting movement of the bar to complete the WILLIAM H. CASE.

Witnesses EVA E. KoNIe, HARRY D. KILGORE. 

